Value-added products of shallots manufactured at the Common Food Processing Incubation Centre (CFPIC) in Chettikulam village of Perambalur district has ready takers in the market.
The centre was established by the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) in the district, where the crop is cultivated in large quantities.
At present, about 200 kg shallots are processed every day into peeled onions, flakes and powder. The products are purchased entirely by a leading restaurant for its soup channel and a Chennai-based entity supplying peeled onions to residents in apartments.
After grading, the large-sized onions are peeled for vacuum packing and the smaller ones are converted into flakes and powder.
A kg shallot of top quality can be converted into a maximum of 180 gm of flakes and powder, which fetch around ₹270 per kg, according to Niwas, faculty in-charge of the centre.
The processing capacity will go up four to five folds in a month’s time after completion of the automation process. At present, IIFPT, which designed the machine, has installed a peeler and root-cutter.
Once the final conveyor is fixed, the entire process can be automated for processing a tonne of onions every day, IIFPT Director C.Anantharamakrishnan said.
IIFPT, which functions under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, established the incubation centre in association with the State department of Agricultural Marketing.
The Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business of the State Government funded a part of the project.
The incubation centre run by a farmer producers company is exploring prospects for export. Samples have been sent for testing to UK, US and Singapore, Mr. Niwas said.
Onion cultivators in the district will not have to worry about price fluctuations once the unit is fully automated.
Every year, 70,000 tonnes of small onion is produced on an annual basis in over 8000 hectares of land area. In seasons when the procurement price falls below ₹20 per kg, farmers suffer losses due to absence of an eco system for processing.
The processing initiative of IIFPT which is expected to foster entrepreneurship in manufacture of value-added products in the district, is attuned to ‘Mission Onion Programme’ – a concept to double farmers’ income by 2022.
